Fort Myers Beach is still slowly recovering from Ian, you can still notice the damages around the town.
One thing people are wondering is why the pier is still destroyed and only has pilings.
Jessica McDevitt visits Fort Myers Beach once a year.
"I mean, we're not familiar with hurricanes, but after a couple of years, we kind of assumed things would be back to normal," McDevitt said.
"It was really cool, we loved to walk on it, bring the kids on it, you know, get a good view, hang out — it was a fun place," she added said.
Robert Syzmanski visited the pier before Ian destroyed it in 2022.
"I think it's an incredible attraction for the people that come here," Syzmanski said.
He said the beach isn't the same either.
"The old vibe of the small can't be Fort Myers Beach that's gone forever, and it's never going to be recaptured," he said.
Many have asked why it has taken so long to start work. Lee County told Gulf Coast News they're still working on the final design and getting permits, which will not be completed until next year.
Construction should start around January 2027, if all goes smoothly they could reopen by June 2028, to create new memories.
"They can get on that pier, rock on out there, and they can be in the ocean, they can feel it. smell it you can almost taste it in the air, so you know, that's a memory, hopefully it will come back," Syzmanski said.
"We hope it'll be a fun, exciting place again," McDevitt said.